The Tale of Two Shrines

by Steve Allerton

Suza - The Main World Shrine: is the name Sukyo Mahikari calls its new
age Solomon's Temple built in the alps of central Japan for approx 300
million yen.

Ms. Okada, the Spiritual leader of Sukyo Mahikari, said
at the Inauguration on November 3rd 1984: Ever since the Golden Temple
built on the high plain of Jerusalem by Moses, David and Solomon was
lost, now breaking through the 2,000 year - blank period, the "shrine
(Temple of Su God)" in which the enshrining and worship of the Parent
God, common to all humankind, who is the true Creator of heaven and
earth, the Ancestor of Heaven and Humans, takes place is majestically
erected, on this high plain of Takayama in the land of Hidama (Globe of
the Sun) of the land of the origin of spirit.

Su-Za - The Main World Shrine is the name for Sekai Mahikari Bunmai
Kodan's Shrine in the Amagi Heights on Izu Peninsula, which was built in 1987.

The Sekai Mahikari Bunmai Kodan web page states: Su-Za World Main
Shrine, the shrine that enshrines Su-God, has never before been built
anywhere in the world. The first Holy Master received from God a strict
order to build Su-Za, and began the search for the Sacred Land on which
to build the Su-Za World Main Shrine.

What a dilemma for Humankind:One founder - Yoshikazu Okada, who
had a passion to build a shrine for Creator God, giving detailed strict
teachings of the significance.Two Mahikari factions - Each
claiming to be the true organization striving to fulfil the last wishes
of Yoshikazu Okada by building Suza - The Main World Shrine - one each.

According to Andris Tebecis in his book MAHIKARI: Thank God For The
Answers At Last(1990 - ISBN 0 9593677 3 X), Chapter 10 "A
shrine is not merely a place of worship or a place held sacred, although
the word is often used in this context by people unfamiliar with such
things. To enshrine means to establish a dwelling-place or physical
structure for communicating with the entity or spirit enshrined."

He goes on to say: "I learned that since the Divine era millions of
years ago, only once in the history of humankind has there been an
attempt to enshrine the Creator God - that by the ancient Jews. Through
Moses the Jewish people received the command to build a special Temple
for Almighty God."

Detail of the gate at Suza, featuring the Mahikari 'Star of David' emblem

"Eventually David's son, Solomon, was provided with sufficient
material wealth to build the Temple. Unfortunately, however, he did not quite
achieve this mission. Although he did build the Temple, misled by his
wives he forgot the God Jehovah and allowed other deities to be
enshrined in Jehovah's place. Consequently, Jehovah destroyed the Temple
after Solomon's time."

"Sukuinushisama said that the bad karma of the Jewish people for
failing this mission is the very reason why they have been persecuted to
this day."

Tebecis goes on to say: "It is clear from the Bible that the Jewish
race would only prosper if they strictly kept the promise they had made
with God. Obviously, the promise has been broken. It is no wonder, then,
that the Jewish race is still being persecuted. Unfortunate though it
may be, at least it is good to know why the Jews have always been
suffering. "

"For years I have been puzzled by this, especially as the Jews are
gifted and capable people in many ways, and there seemed to be no
obvious reason why most nations have treated them with varying degrees
of contempt or worse. Through Mahikari this has become clear to me, and
I can also appreciate how important it is not to fail to enshrine the
Creator God this time. Just as Moses once received the mission to build
a Temple for Jehovah, Sukuinushisama received the mission to establish a
Shrine for Su God. Just as all the Jews inherited the mission of Moses,
we have inherited Sukuinushisama's mission."

"Sukuinushisama taught time and time again that Sekai So Honzan must
remain forever the Shrine for only the Creator God, Su, and not for any
other deity. He warned people of the serious consequences for mankind if
the covenant he made with Su God be broken in the way it had been by
Solomon."

Tebecis and Okada make it very clear - there is to be only one Shrine for the
Creator God, it is to be called Suza, and to fail in this mission will bring
the wrath of God down upon Humankind. Mahikari members, who Okada called
the 'Levities of this time', had the responsibility to build and maintain
the one and only shrine to the Creator God.

Tebecis warns in his book: "Sukuinushisama said that it is essential
to build a Shrine for Su God as soon as possible and that we must
apologize sincerely for our delay and neglect in the past. Sekai So
Honzan (Main World Shrine) or Suza (place of Su God) are the words used
to describe the Shrine of Almighty God for the whole world. According to
Sukuinushisama the most important and urgent mission of kamikumite is to
establish Sekai So Honzan. All the efforts to spread the teachings of
Mahikari, establish Mahikari Centres, prepare "seed-people" and so on
are primarily to erect Suza, the major goal at this stage of the Divine
Plan. If we fail in this mission the power of salvation through Mahikari
will be withdrawn, irrespective of how well we understand and try to
live according to other Divine teachings. Sukuniushisama and
Oshienushisama referred to Sekai So Honzan as the "last bus" or "Noah's
Ark" of this age of the Baptism by Fire."

To warn a Mahikari member that they will no longer be able to
radiate the Light of God from their hands any more if they fail in building
the Shrine is the worst kind of control. They are using fear and guilt to
stimulate members to give more time, money, and materials to the
organisation.

It's a terrible burden to give a Mahikari member, carrying the fate
of the whole human race, dependent upon their efforts to expand
Mahikari, and focussing on how quickly they fulfill Yoshikazu Okada's dreams.
It equated to a very powerful threat, and fueled a very efficient harvest
of "donations". This is an indication of the darker side of Mahikari.
The threat worked, Suza was built, and a huge Pyramid and Mausoleum soon
followed.

Tebecis writes: "In one of his last public addresses before he
passed away to the Divine Spiritual World on 23rd June 1974,
Sukuinishisama warned that the kind of mistake made by Israel in
Biblical history must never be allowed to be repeated. His greatest wish
was that we make every possible effort to ensure that the Main World
Shrine is built."

When Okada died in 1974, little did he know of the confusion he
would leave behind! He died without leaving clear and concise details of
succession. As a consequence, there was a power struggle for control of
his organization. From the struggle, two Mahikari organizations emerged.

Each Mahikari declared they were the legitimate one, and took on the
responsibility to fulfill Okada's covenant with God and build the Main
World Shrine - Suza. As a result, the world is blessed with two Main
World Shrines.

Steps up to the front of Suza

So here is the dilemma - there are TWO Main World Shrines for the Creator God.

As Tebecis defines in his book:" a shrine ...is actually the
site where the spirit of the enshrined being is concentrated."
I would be interested to know which shrine God has chosen to
concentrate his/her spirit. Does God spend half the year in the
mountains at Takayama, then the other half at the coast on Izu
Peninsula?

I'm sure God must have a sense of humour.

Both groups believe that they have fulfilled Okada's mission. So I
guess humankind is safe from the wrath of God, and we're not going to be
destroyed.

Or are we? Okada gave dire warnings of the consequences using
Solomon's Temple as the example if his mission failed. Like the Jews,
the new age Levites (Mahikari members) would be destroyed along with the
rest of humankind if they failed to build Suza.

According to Okada, Jehovah was quite specific; he wanted a temple
built just for him and as a reward, his chosen people the Jews would
prosper. The covenant was broken and the Jews wondered the earth
homeless and despised. Okada claimed he made a similar covenant with
God, once Suza was built the world would become a paradise and the earth
would become a Garden of Eden at last.

Is history repeating itself? Is Mahikari about to be destroyed and
its members doomed? Okada made a covenant with God to build a Main
Temple for him and ended up with two!

Has the Mahikari "power" been divided between Sukyo
Mahikari and Sekai Mahikari Bunmai Kodan, or maybe doubled? Or even,
withdrawn!?

Are people flocking in droves to Mahikari centers to receive Light
or being more careful about jumping into a cult?

Is Mahikari expanding, as Okada predicted after Suza was built, or
struggling to pay its bills?

Maybe the world continues to spin in space and God just smiles,
amused by the human dramas continually unfolding.

Forecourt of Suza, with Mahikari Tai marching

But the drama does not end there.

As Tebecis wrote above: "Eventually David's son, Solomon,
was provided with sufficient wealth to build the temple. Unfortunately,
however, he did not quite achieve this mission. Although he did build the
Temple, misled by his wives he forgot the God Jehovah and allowed other
deities to be enshrined in Jehovah's place. Consequently, Jehovah
destroyed the Temple after Solomon's time."

Ms. Okada, the Spiritual leader of Sukyo Mahikari, said at the
Inauguration on November 3rd 1984: "Ever since the Golden Temple
built on the high plain of Jerusalem by Moses, David and Solomon was
lost, now breaking through the 2000 year blank period, "the Shrine
(temple) of Su" in which the enshrining and worship of the Parent
God, common to all humankind, who is the true Creator of Heaven and
Earth, the Ancestor of Heaven and humans, takes place is majestically
erected, on this high plain of Takayama in the land of Hidama (Globe of
Sun) of the Land of the Origin of Spirit."

It seems that she had forgotten that the God that she is talking
about according to early Mahikari teachings already had a home at Ise
Shrine. Ise Shrine is a very famous shrine in Japan dedicated to the
Imperial Family.

Yoshikazu Okada published his early Teachings in a book called
Commentary to Kami Muki Sanji -1982 - On pages 238-240 he
states: A Golden Urn with the words written in Hebrew EIE ASHIL EIE -
I AM THAT I AM - is enshrined at Ise Shrine.

A reference is used from the Bible to give this Urn a biblical
provenance - Hebrews 9:3-4 "....Behind the second curtain stood
a tent called the Holy of Holies, having the golden alter of incense and
the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, which contained
a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the
tables of the covenant..." Okada gives an account how this Urn
- Vessel of Manna - had been in Israel, was taken to China then came
back to Japan.

He says: "Because of this relationship, Jehovah is enshrined at
Ise. Therefore the mecca for the whole world is, in fact, Ise. Indeed,
it has returned to the land of the origin of spirit. Therefore, no
matter what, Shinto people and Christians must visit and worship at Ise
Shrine, otherwise neither Moses nor Jesus will be pleased."
"Sooner or later, the time will come when all people of the world,
starting with the Pope, will have to visit Ise Shrine and worship there.
Otherwise the time will come when horrible judgement will be given by
God."

He gave explicit teachings on Febuary 19, 1967, (Daiseishu - Great and
Holy Master - 1993. page 114) he said:
"In the Old Testament the Creator
is known as "Yahweh". Due to a problem in translation when the
Bible was translated into English, "Yahweh" came to be called
"Jehovah". The Greek translation "Yahae" actually
signifies the physical aspect of Su God.

"Briefly, the Absolute God of the universe, Brahma Deva, or Kannon,
whom Buddha worshiped, and the ehie asher ehie - "I am
that I am " - the God worshiped by Moses, Jesus, and John, all refer
to a real and powerful entity, the absolute God of Creation. In that
these names refer to the Lord God, they all refer to the God of the
great origin. " "We call Him Su God and worship Him and all the Gods
on His linage through Him. "

So, in the 1960s Okada had proclaimed that Jehovah was
already enshrined in Japan at Ise Shrine, and this was still the case in
1984 when I visited the shrine. Bus-loads of Mahikari members were taken
to Ise and we all paid homage to Jehovah. The significance was explained
by Mahikari ministers: we were on a pilgrimage to fulfill Okada's request
that Christians go to Ise and worship Jehovah. We also paid homage to
another shrine while we were there, which was called Aramitama (rough
soul). This is where Okada claims that Allah is enshrined.

So, to sum up: Okada, the founder of a sect called Sekai Mahikari
Bunmai Kodan, died in 1974, and his dying wish was that a shrine to Su God
be built, a 'Solomon's Temple'. Jehovah the Creator God was to be enshrined
here once again, this time with a covenant that the Mahikari sect build and
maintain the Shrine.

Several things happened:

Possibly because of his advanced age, Okada
overlooked a previous teaching he had given. He said Jehovah was already
enshrined at Ise Shrine.

Secondly, his sect had an internal power
struggle and two Mahikari sects started a parallel path to fulfil his
wish and build the Suza he dreamed would enshrine God.

Both sects
have succeeded in building multi-million dollar shrines, both called - Suza
- the Main World Shrine.

Each sect claims they built their shrine
in a spiritually significant location, according to Okada's
divine revelations.

Ceremonies were held in both Suzas to enshrine
the Creator God.

It looks as though the Creator God will have to wait a while to have a
personal shrine built, as Mahikari seems to have missed the bus. Perhaps
God would be more interested in being welcomed to a site where the
spirit can be concentrated without stone, concrete, and millions of
dollars - in the simple Human Heart.